Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Officially Joining The Gluten Free Crowd

BlackStar

Recommended Posts

BlackStar Newbie
BlackStar
Posted

I had my doctor's appointment today, and they pulled blood for my celiac and thyroid panels. Since I have no intention of doing an endoscopy (not sure where the nearest GI is anyway. Certainly there is not one local to me), I am going to start gluten free right now. I had been eating gluten light on accident for a few weeks before I made the celiac connection, and have been feeling worse and worse since reintroducing the larger quantities back into my diet, so I strongly suspect this is less of a trial and more of a for-the-long-haul kind of thing.

Fortunately, my husband is all for me going gluten free (although he's not completely sold on the whole cc thing) and my parents are supportive (my mom is the one who made the connection first) and may end up going gluten free themselves, as we are pretty sure that my mom at least has it too.

In a way, I'm almost elated. Eating gluten free seems like such an easy answer for all of my health issues plus preventing all of the health issues that run in my family. I'm also really nervous about how it will go. It's hard finding all the places gluten hide! Plus I work at a coffee/sandwich shop. I've told the boss I can't bake anymore :'( but will I really be able to be careful enough working with sandwiches? I'll have to be so militant. Or find a new job, which would NOT be easy around here. Plus, I don't know how much to worry about things like that my cat has been using a wheat-based litter. We're transitioning him to a different one now, but he has put his little kitten paws in there and then run all over the apartment. Am I living in a film of gluten? Am I worrying too much? I don't have the energy to deep-clean the whole apartment at the moment. I touch my face a lot but I should probably try to stop that anyway.

I've been reading the forums and am so glad to have all the information available here. (Plus all the food ideas!) Thank you all for all of the help! Having a resource like this makes it a whole lot easier.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Welcome to the club you had never planned to join :D Good for your husband in getting behind the project - it is so important to have family support. You will have to educate him on how to keep you safe. One idea is to cook all your meals at home gluten free, and have him eat all the gluten he wants out of the house. Certainly you can make your dinner meals gluten free to start with and maybe gradually wean him to the idea that gluten free isn't that bad B)

I assume you wear gloves at work which should help protect you, but if you are back in an area where there is flour dust in the air you are going to need a mask so that you don't inhale it. How much baking is actually done there?

Okay, you've got rid of the cat litter; now what about the gluten in the cat food -- is there any? The cat eats, then grooms, you pet the cat and whammo!

Best wishes on your new gluten free journey :)

BlackStar Newbie
BlackStar
Posted
  • Author

Thank you, Mushroom!

The cat's food is already grain free. (yay!) Currently, baking is done 3 days a week in the morning. It is in a back corner that I can avoid without too much trouble. I'm going to pick up some masks later today. I really am afraid that I'll never feel quite safe at my current job. It's something I'll need to address. Thanks for the information on the flour. I had no idea it floats around that long.

Dinner from now on will be for sure gluten free. I'm not going to make 2 dinners! The husband will be responsible for his own gluten. :D So probably it will be eaten at home very little.

Thanks for the support! It makes it a lot less overwhelming.

kitgordon Explorer
kitgordon
Posted

Welcome aboard! It is overwhelming at first, but very doable, and you have definitely found the right place for support and advice!

SMDBill Apprentice
SMDBill
Posted

One thing about that litter that may be interesting is something I saw on that show where the guy goes to different families to help with cat issues. One family in particular had a cat that was declawed and then started spraying. Their logic was that he was angry and was acting out. The guy found that not to be the case at all. They had changed his litter and after declawing he had all his weight bearing down on sensitive paws with no claws to help. The litter was made of larger granules of litter and it literally hurt his paws so he found other places to use the bathroom just to avoid the pain. He had them switch to a finer granule litter and the cat was loving it. The spraying stopped and he didn't mind using his box at all.

I know that's a bit of a tangent, but the kitty is going through something that may be an easy fix if it's related to the new litter size/texture. I had a German Shepherd who had terrible seizures that lasted up to 15 minutes quite frequently (monthly). We finally figured out SHE was allergic to wheat and the seizures stopped on wheat-free food, but I never correlated the wheat issue to myself until I was prompted to research it by my sister.

Good luck with work and your safety while in that environment. I'm sometimes scared to even walk in some places, especially pizza places where they throw crusts around and I can see wheat fluffing up in the air. I avoid them now because of the fear of ingesting airborne flour, but it's both embarrassing and a pain for others who love their food. Working in that kind of environment is something you will figure out how to adjust to and I hope you can make it safe without worry.

BlackStar Newbie
BlackStar
Posted
  • Author

Thank you, kitgordon and SMDBill!

Aww, poor kitty! And that must have been so scary with the German Shepherd! My little guy has his claws and adjusts to changes quickly, so thankfully we haven't had issues so far! I was a bit worried because the new litter looks so different from his old, but we put a layer of the old on the new and he's using the mixture just fine. Tomorrow I plan to switch him all the way over and then scrub the bathroom down. Thanks for the heads up!

I have no idea how I will make the work environment work. It was never intended as a permanent job, but it is paying the bills right now. I guess I'll play that one by ear. I haven't even been gluten-free a week and I feel so much better already, I don't want to jeapordize that.

Thank you!

BlackStar Newbie
BlackStar
Posted
  • Author

Ok, so I just got a phone call from the doctor's office. It went like this:

"Hello, is this Blackstar?"

"Yes."

"This is the doctor's office. We have the results from your celiac's test."

"Ok."

"It's negative. Ok bye!"

"Wait! Did you get the thyroid test back?"

"Oh, umm... that was negative too. It was *gives me a number I can't remember now*. Ok, bye!"

"Wait! Can I come and pick it up..."

*click*

I've liked my doctor pretty well so far, but clearly being on the phone with me for over a minute was cutting into that nurse's schedule.

So I guess I'll head on over there later today to get copies of the results. I'm a little nervous because although I went into my doctor's appointment armed with every bit of information I could possibly need, I got all flustered as I tend to do in face to face conversation. I had a list of everything that should be on the celiac panel but I don't remember showing that to her, although I do remember the word "panel" being tossed around. I'm also sure I forgot about vitamin levels. So now I get to see what actually happened. In any case, I've already started the diet, and how much better I'm feeling is good enough for me for now. I'm sure my husband doesn't want me to go back because I was not much fun for a while before testing. Also he's eating better now that I can't do lazy convenience foods for dinner :D I'll post later with results.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Sorry the nurse was short with you - very good idea to get the results, but the most important test has already been a "positive" result - you are feeling better without gluten :)

Let us know if you have questions with celiac, thyroid or any others tests - there are members that can interpret any medical tests hopping on all the time.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,548
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Lunaluv
    Newest Member
    Lunaluv
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Taken Seriously

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      Looking for a gluten-free roomie in Denver CO

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Allergy medication: cetirizine by the HealthA2Z is it gluten free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Protein or fat?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.